A/N: This takes place in an AU where Voldemort was handled at the Department of Mysteries by the adults, Sirius lives, Remus and Tonks break up, oh, and Hermione definitely doesn't know about the Marauders. Enjoy!

It was so unlike Hermione Granger to receive detention that she was positive that Filch had no idea what to do with her when she showed up one Saturday evening. He was wearing, if she wasn't mistaken, cologne and a cravat. It appeared that he was headed off for a date with one (lucky?) woman.

But, owing that it was Hermione Granger who had darkened his doorstep, that was probably the reason why he thought he could leave her unattended in his office, doing the only task that he could think up for her off the top of his head.

"Um, I want you to reorganize my filing!" he said triumphantly, showing off crooked and graying teeth. "That should take you the three hours. And you better not leave a minute before ten or I'll inform Professor Snape and you'll be back here again next week," he added, before flouncing off to his date.

Hermione was...upset with herself for landing detention, but she supposed he could have given her a nastier task. Like when he'd made Harry and Ron clean the first floor boys lavatory with toothbrushes. Organizing she could handle.

Sitting down at Filch's desk, she began working through his drawers gathering up loose pieces of parchment before rolling through his files. He had no organizational system in place, so it was easy to start from scratch. By the time she finished, her back and neck were aching and she realized she still had two hours to go.

Two hours of sitting around doing absolutely nothing.

So next she organized the items in his desk and shaved another forty-five minutes on the clock.

And then she just sat there at Filch's desk, wondering how he would really even know that she had left early. She knew that he was a squib so he couldn't have placed any wards on the office to alert him. But...the thought of getting caught and receiving another detention on her otherwise exemplary disciplinary record kept her arse glued to the chair.

Biting her lower lip, she knew that there was something she could do to help pass the time. Thinking about it for a minute, she knew that she would go crazy if she didn't occupy her mind somehow. Once she had made up her mind she liberated a quill and ink from the top drawer, before grabbing one of the loose pieces of parchment she'd set aside.

Holding her breath, she watched as drops of ink stained the paper, wondering if she was really going to do this. Gathering her Gryffindor courage, she pressed quill to paper.

Ideas for Seducing Remus she wrote at the top of the paper, before underlining it with flourish. Darting her tongue out to wet her lower lips, she tried to think of her first idea.

And then, to her horror, the ink began to seep into the paper, disappearing from view. "No, no, no," she whispered, horrified, wondering what magic this was. She'd be utterly mortified if someone had seen what she'd written.

Ooh, seducing Remus, eh? Mr. Prongs is quite intrigued by the prospect.

Hermione's blush deepened when she watched the words flitter across the parchment. Suddenly she was positive that she'd made some kind of terrible mistake and someone was just messing with her.

Yes, Mr. Padfoot as well. Does Mr. Moony have some insight on the matter?

No, Mr. Moony does not.

Mr. Wormtail thinks that Mr. Moony is positively blushing.

The words continued to flood the page so quickly that she could barely read it. Her mind swam with the possibility of who it could be, and she hoped that no one would be able to connect it with her. She would just die if Harry or Ron found out about her crush on their former Professor.

Why should Mr. Moony blush, Mr. Padfoot wonders? Does he think that Remus doesn't deserve to be seduced?

Mr. Prongs would like to assist with the brainstorming. Remus definitely deserves to be seduced. What did you have in mind?

Finally, the words stopped and she felt her blood rushing in her ears. The parchment had asked her a question and there was no way that she was going to answer it, not when anyone could be manipulating it. Instead she just stared at that last question mark, wishing that she knew what to do. She always knew what to do, even when she didn't, but this time she was coming up empty handed.

Just as she was about to burn the damned thing, Filch was shoving the door back open, looking dour and mean. "You! What are you still doing here?" he demanded, glowering at her. "Snooping around my desk, eh?"

Knowing that she couldn't chance Filch getting ahold of the parchment for sure, Hermione shoved it into her bag, before throwing the bag over her shoulder. "Of course not, sir, I was just tidying your desk," she stammered. That part was sort of true at least. "I finished up your filing and I...I wanted to do something else, so..."

"Well go on, then, get out of here!" he shouted again, teeth grinding in his mouth. "Detention is over."

Hermione did not have to be told twice and she zipped past him out into the hall and up to the seventh floor entrance to Gryffindor tower.

"Back so soon?" Ron asked, nearly making Hermione jump out of her skin.

She held her bag shut, hoping that the parchment was well hidden and wouldn't fall out. "Yeah, Filch let me go early. I think he had a bad date," she said, before walking towards the girls dormitory.

She could hear Ron complain to Harry that Filch never gave them special treatment. Normally she would have scolded him, but she knew she wouldn't feel safe until she was within the safety of her own room. Once there, she'd be able to shove the parchment into her trunk, and hopefully, no one would ever be the wiser to its existence.

Hermione spent the following two weeks looking over her shoulder so certain that someone was going to use the enchanted parchment against her. Surely the fact that she'd tried to make a list to seduce someone was excellent fodder to mock her mercilessly. The thought of anyone finding out, let alone the whole school, had her stomach sinking in agony.

But, the days ticked by and nothing ever came about it.

It made her curiosity about the enchanted parchment grow and grow until she just couldn't take it anymore. One Saturday night when her roommates were out and Harry and Ron were as well, Hermione tucked into her four poster bed and pulled out the bit of parchment, smoothing it so that she could examine it.

The parchment had offered to help her with brainstorming, and well...she could use the help if she was honest. She was going to be going to Grimmauld Place in just a few short weeks for winter holidays and she was utterly hopeless when it came to catching his attention, something she wanted desperately to do. And, well, she couldn't tell any of her friends about it because she was sure that they wouldn't understand, not even Ginny.

Holding her breath and wondering if she was really going to do this, Hermione finally put her pen to paper. Are you still there?

Ah, Mr. Prongs was wondering where you'd gone. What took you so long?

Mr. Moony is sure that she had other things to do than talk to a silly piece of parchment, Mr. Prongs.

Nonsense, Mr. Moony. Don't you want to help her with her little project? Mr. Padfoot certainly does. It sounds like a wonderful idea. Remus Lupin is quite the catch.

Mr. Wormtail concurs.

Concurs, Mr. Wormtail? Mr. Padfoot wonders when Mr. Wormtail improved his vocabulary so much.

The words flitted across the page almost quicker than she could read, but Hermione was struck by one thing in particular. The enchanted personalities in the parchment had used the full name of Remus Lupin, when she was positive that she had not used his last name when she was in detention. Was it possible that they knew him? Wait, do you know Remus Lupin? She wrote, unable to help herself.

Of course we know him! You could say that we know him better than anyone else.

How is that possible, Hermione wondered to himself. More intrigued than ever, Hermione knew that she wasn't going to be able to let this go. And you really think you can help me get him to notice me?

Notice you? Mr. Padfoot distinctly remembers that seducing was the aim.

She waited for any other kind of witty banter between the four misters, only to find the parchment waiting for her response. Her cheeks heated up even fiercer than before when she realized they were going to make her say it again. Fine. Will you really be able to help me seduce him?

Mr. Prongs thinks that's more like it!

Mr. Wormtail thinks that we should know more about you before we agree to help. How do we know that you are right for Remus Lupin. We don't want to use our powers for evil.

Excellent point, Mr. Wormtail! Mr. Padfoot agrees. Tell us about yourself. What's your name? What house are you in? What are your measurements?

Excuse you! Hermione wrote quickly, wondering just where this cheeky parchment got off. I suppose that you can call me...Miss Bookworm. And, I'm in Gryffindor. A seventh year...I'm fairly average in height and maybe just a bit ganglier than the rest of the girls in my year. I certainly don't have a body that boys are dreaming over in their dormitories. I've got brown hair and brown eyes. I'm pretty plain, really, but I know that I clean up alright.

Mr. Moony thinks that you sound lovely, Miss Bookworm. Remus is the kind of bloke who would be more interested in your mind than in your looks.

Don't be silly, Mr. Moony. Of course, it's what's on the inside that counts, but Mr. Padfoot can't say enough for physical attraction. If you want to seduce Remus, you should definitely put in the effort to clean up as you say.

Mr. Prongs agrees! You should give him a reason to look at you twice. The long intellectual conversations can come later.

Hermione bit her lower lip, supposing that they were right. After all, she needed Remus to see her as a woman, and not as a little girl any longer. She wasn't a bucktoothed, bushy-haired third year any more. Alright, what do you suggest?

Oh, Mr. Wormtail has a suggestion. Remus loves witches in skirts.

And knee socks! Remus has a real thing for knee socks if Mr. Padfoot recalls correctly.

No, Remus does not! Mr. Moony vehemently rejects that assertion.

Please, Mr. Moony, there is no need to get embarrassed about what Remus likes. But, it's obvious to Mr. Padfoot, Mr. Wormtail and I that there is nothing Remus loves more than a witch in a skirt and knee socks.

Hermione chewed on the end of her parchment. She typically wore jeans when she wasn't in her school uniform, but she did have a supply of skirts and knee socks. Hopefully no one would think twice of it if she got a little more dressed up than usual. It was going to be Yule after all. I can do that.

And, Mr. Wormtail thinks that Miss Bookworm should wear red lipstick. Doesn't Mr. Moony agree?

Mr. Moony thinks that red lipstick might be nice.

Feeling a little better that she was starting to form a plan, Hermione hoped that these four unknowns knew what they were talking about. Yule was probably one of her only chances to seduce Remus and let him know how she felt about him truly. Okay. I suppose this is as good of advice as any. I'll let you know how it goes.

Mr. Prongs will be waiting here with baited ink, Miss Bookworm!

Mr. Padfoot, too - go get him, kitten.

Mr. Wormtail thinks that Miss Bookworm will do great. How could Remus resist a skirt and knee socks and lipstick?

Mr. Moony wishes you luck, Miss Bookworm. Just go easy on Remus, okay? He can be a little obtuse sometimes. He doesn't always see what's right in front of him.

Hermione was full of nerves the whole train ride back to Kings Cross station for Yule break. She doubted she even heard a single word that Harry or Ron said, too busy thinking about the week she was about to spend with Remus.

Grimmauld Place was home to Harry's godfather Sirius Black, who had offered a room to his friend from school, Remus Lupin. They'd lived there every since Voldemort had been defeated the summer before Hermione's sixth year at Hogwarts and Sirius had been acquited of all charges against him for the murder of Peter Pettigrew, who it turns out had been the real person who'd betrayed Harry's parents.

Hermione had only stayed there a handful of times - a weekend here or there to visit Harry over the summers - but she looked forward to it every time because it meant she would get to chat with Grimmauld's resident werewolf.

She'd thought Remus Lupin had been a nice man when he'd taught at Hogwarts in her third year, and she'd felt badly for him when she'd figured out that he was a werewolf. She knew that he thought she was exceptionally bright, which had flattered her of course. But, her crush hadn't really sprouted then.

No, that started over her fifth year, when she had been brought to Grimmauld the first time. It was as if she was seeing him with different eyes, and she suddenly couldn't stop thinking about how tall he was, or the sharp angle of his jaw, or how big his hands were. He had inspired more than a handful of big, bad wolf daydreams in her that had her blushing to the roots of her hair when she thought about what her mind could conjure up. He always took the time to speak with her, and he actually spoke to her like she was an adult, which was refreshing. He shared the same voracious love of reading that she did and...he seemed perfect, really.

But, she hadn't realized just how serious her crush was until she'd seen him with Nymphadora Tonks - Sirius's cool auror cousin with pink hair. They'd had a brief fling after Voldemort was defeated and Hermione had felt crushing heartbreak every time they were together. Luckily, though, that had fizzled out by the end of summer.

She'd begun a correspondence with him then, first starting as an innocent question for a recommendation of sources for a Defense Against the Dark Arts essay that Remus was happy to fulfill. From there, it had grown organically to long written discussions about life and the future. Hermione found herself hopelessly smitten.

"We're almost to the station," Harry said, pulling Hermione out of her thoughts.

"Oh, good," she responded, before standing up from her seat. "I think I'll just go change out of my uniform then."

Hermione had been able to purchase a few new items for her wardrobe under the advisement of her enchanted helpers. Pulling on a new skirt and wooly jumper, Hermione hoped that she looked nice enough. She'd taken the care to actually style her hair a bit that morning and she was looking fresh faced and bright eyed thanks to just a tiny hint of mascara - nothing too noticable, though, as Harry and Ron hadn't mentioned it.

Smoothing out the gray fabric of her skirt (that she really hoped wasn't too reminiscent of her school uniform), Hermione slipped the red lipstick she'd gotten in her pocket. She wouldn't put that on until before dinner, because it was something her two dimwitted friends would notice.

When she returned to the carriage, the boys had changed as well, but they didn't say anything about the relative step up in her attire. It was just as well in her mind...she didn't want to field questions about why she was so dressed up from them if she could help it.

Sirius was the only one waiting for them to arrive at the station and helped pocket their four trunks so that they could apparate over to Grimmauld Place together. Hermione had already passed her apparition test, but Ron had yet to retake his while Harry hadn't even tried to take it yet. She was happy to go ahead of the boys and made her way to the library of the old townhouse.

Remus was there when she arrived and greeted her with a smile. "Hermione, good to see you again," he said fondly, before wrapping her in a quick hug.

Hermione tried not to be obvious about breathing in his scent while she was pressed up against his jumper but it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. She tried to commit the spicy orange and new wood to memory. It was over sooner than she wished, but she could still feel a bit of warmth seeping into her.

Looking him up and down, she noticed a new scruffiness to his face and felt her heart begin to beat a bit faster. "New beard, Remus?" she asked, resisting the urge to touch him. "It looks good on you," she added.

His own hand came up to scratch at his face. "Nothing intentional, I suppose...just my winter coat," he said, perhaps a bit embarrassed at the compliment.

Before they were able to talk much longer, Sirius arrived with the boys and then Grimmauld Place was alive with activity once again. Hermione stepped back and let Harry and Ron greet Remus as well, before taking her trunk up to the room that she would inhabit over the holidays.

Hermione joined the rest of the inhabitants of Grimmauld Place at dinner with the new red lipstick on her lips. She'd agonized in front of the mirror for nearly twenty minutes making sure that it looked perfect before she'd left the confines of her room. She hoped that it wouldn't be too obvious, but Ron blew the lid off his top immediately when he saw her.

"What's with the lips, Hermione?" Ron asked between bites of mashed potato. He hadn't even waited for everyone to sit at the table before digging into the feast Sirius had offered them.

Immediately four heads swiveled to look at her and Hermione felt her cheeks heat up. "I-er...it's the holidays, Ron," she said with a shrug of her shoulders. "I just wanted to get a little dressed up."

"I think it looks awesome, Hermione," Ginny said helpfully when she slid into the spot next to her younger friend.

Hermione shyly looked up at Remus through sooty lashes to see if he had any kind of reaction to her new look, but he was too busy listening to whatever Sirius was talking about. Deciding that she certainly wasn't going to be wearing the lipstick again, she cursed Mr. Wormtail or whoever it was that had mentioned it in the first place.

After dinner, they played some exploding snap in the library until Ginny got tired. Hermione made excuses to retreat to her own room, quickly pulling out the enchanted parchment. Are you there? she wrote, never entirely sure how to get their attention.

Hey Miss Bookworm. How is operation seduce Remus going? We are all here on tenterhooks.

Wetting her lips, Hermione decided to tell them about the lipstick and what an utter fail it was. The lipstick went over like a lead balloon. He wouldn't even look at me.

Mr. Padfoot doesn't think that's a bad sign. Perhaps Remus found himself too intrigued by the lipstick and he didn't want to be too obvious. I bet he's fantasizing about your lips right now, eh, Mr. Moony?

Mr. Moony doesn't think that Remus is that much of an animal Mr. Padfoot.

Very funny, Mr. Moony. Well, Mr. Prongs wonder how everything else is going?

Hermione wasn't sure what she should really tell them. She was embarrassed that she hadn't been able to even really talk to Remus one on one, let alone seduce him. We've barely had time to talk alone.

Mr. Wormtail wonders...what's stopping you from talking to him one on one now?

What, like...right now right now? Hermione scribbled out, feeling suddenly nervous. It wasn't that easy was it? What if she bothered him? What if he found her annoying? It's pretty late. I think he might be going to bed soon.

Of course right now! Mr. Prongs gently reminds Miss Bookworm that there is no time like the present.

Mr. Padfoot agrees. Bring Remus some tea. He loves that shit and will be very thankful to have it brought to him by a pretty witch.

And some toffee. Mr. Wormtail would like to point out that Remus's favorite sweet is chocolate covered toffee.

Really? Hermione asked, wondering how they knew that about Remus. I thought he prefered plain chocolate.

Really. Plain chocolate is okay for every day, but Mr. Moony can confirm that chocolate covered toffee is Remus's preferred treat.

Alright. I better go now before I get too scared. she added, quickly pulling out a pair of knee socks to slip on her feet before she headed down the stairs to the library where she could bet that Remus was still reading by the fire. She had already heard Sirius whistling on his way to bed up the stairs, but she hadn't heard the object of her desires just yet.

Creeping down the stairs, Hermione popped into the kitchen to make a quick spot of tea. She didn't have any chocolate covered toffee on hand...she'd have to get some if she went shopping that week. Then, she made her way to the library, wincing at home much the cups clanked when she walked.

She found Remus sitting in front of a dying fireplace with an open book in his lap. "Cup of tea, Remus?" she asked, lifting up the cup.

"Yes, thank you," he agreed, before standing up to help her with her precarious balancing act.

"Can I join you?" she asked next, wishing that he would have offered. "I'm having trouble getting to sleep."

"Er, of course, Hermione," he said, before shutting the book that he'd been reading. "I am sure that Sirius would like you to make yourself at home. There is no prohibition to going into the library whenever you'd like."

Biting her lower lip, she decided to be a little bit bold, like her enchanted friends had told her to. Mr. Moony said Remus could be a little obtuse, right? "Actually, I confess that I wasn't so much wanting to spend time in the library," she said. "It's more like I was hoping to spend some time with you."

"With me?" Remus asked, swallowing a bit nervously.

"Yes," she confirmed, before leaning towards him a little bit more, angling her body just so towards him. "I've come to look forward to getting all your letters. And, well, talking to you in person just seems a better prospect."

"Oh, yes, I suppose," he said with a small smile. "But, don't expect me to be as witty as I am on paper. I have a lot more time to think up answers to your questions when I am responding to a letter."

Hermione laughed at his self-deprecating joke, lightly pressing her hand to his arm. "Well I know what you've been up to with your work at the Ministry, but what have you been up to since summer?" she asked. She knew all about his professional life, but she was hoping to get a little more personal with him. "What do you and Sirius do all the time?"

"I don't know what kind of social life you are expecting, Hermione, but I promise you that I am quite boring. I don't get out too much," Remus answered with a wry grin. "Now, Sirius on the other hand...if I am honest, I have trouble remembering which witch he is dating each week."

"I don't find you boring, Remus," Hermione said shyly. If she was honest, she was intensely curious about the handsome man. She tucked her hands under her legs so that she wouldn't be tempted to touch him again. And, a small part of her hoped that it would help him notice the knee socks, which so far had had zero effect on him whatsoever. "I'm sure that you are far more social than me. I think I spend all my time revising for NEWTs."

"Have you considered what you will do after school anymore?" Remus asked. "Last we spoke you had started receiving offers from the Ministry."

Hermione blushed, hoping that she hadn't come off as a braggart. She was very torn over what she wanted to do when she left Hogwarts. Both Harry and Ron wanted to go into the auror academy (if they didn't make their trials for Quidditch, of course), but she wasn't sure if she wanted to join them. Part of her worried that they wouldn't all remain friends for much longer if she didn't, but she really had no desire to track down dark wizards, especially not when Defense Against the Dark Arts was easily her worst subject.

"I was kind of thinking about applying to the cursebreaker program at Gringotts," she said with a shrug. "It seems like it combines all the types of magic that I am most interested in, and there is a little opportunity for fieldwork if you want it. But, I was also thinking about maybe joining the International Bureau of Magical Cooperation."

"I'm sure you'd do brilliantly at either of those," Remus complimented her. "You could probably talk to Bill and Fleur on Christmas day if you wanted more information about Gringotts. I think the goblins are...sometimes difficult to work with."

"The Weasleys will be joining us?" Hermione asked, feeling a bit disappointed. Things would get so busy that she would probably not have much time to seduce Remus and if Molly Weasley caught on, Hermione was sure to get in trouble. She'd thought that they were going to visit Charlie.

"Yes, Molly and Arthur will be back from Romania, so Sirius invited them all over for a Christmas feast," he explained. "Fred and George will be here for sure, but I'm not sure about Percy yet."

Remus took the last sip of his tea, before banishing the empty cup away. He stretched out his legs, before standing up from the couch, with a yawn and a stretch. "I think I'm going to try to get some shut eye. Can I walk you to your room?" he offered, before stretching out a hand.

Hermione was sad to be done talking with him, but she gladly took his offered hand, sighing when she felt the heat of it. Even once she stood up from the couch, she didn't let go, wanting him to be the one to break contact. Either Remus didn't notice that they were still holding hands or he was enjoying the contact as well, but he didn't let go, not even up the two flights of stairs to Hermione's room.

She stood in front of her closed door, wishing she was bold enough to invite him in or to stand on her tiptoes and kiss him, but instead she was paralyzed in nerves just listening to her heart pounding against her chest. She wondered if Remus was able to hear it.

He dropped her hand then, looking like he wanted to say something more. Finally, he cleared his throat once he decided to speak. "Goodnight, Hermione. Sleep well," he said.

"You too, Remus," she said, staring at his retreating form climbing the stairs.

Hermione felt as if her chances to seduce Remus were slipping right through her fingers. Despite all of her best attempts, she had not been able to make her intentions known to the objects of her affections, not even when she tried all of the suggestions that her new penpals had suggested.

Mr. Wormtail wonders if you've given him the toffee yet? A present should certainly let him know that you are interested in something more.

Hermione had been able to procure some chocolate covered toffee and even wrapped up it's box in a big red bow that matched the color of her lipstick. She couldn't stop wearing the lipstick now as she was afraid Ron would say something else about it.

Knocking on his door one night, Hermione let herself in his room when he bid her to enter. She wanted desperately to look around Remus's lair to see if she could find any hidden secrets about him, but she was far too focused on her task. "Sorry to disturb you, Remus, but I thought you might want a little early Christmas present," she said with a grin, before shaking the box.

"You didn't have to get me anything, Hermione," he said with a surprised grin, but he happily took the box. Opening it eagerly, his green eyes lit up in surprise. "This is my favorite, Hermione, thank you."

"A little birdie told me you liked it and when I saw it out at the shop, I couldn't resist," she answered, matching his grin.

But then, she didn't really have anything else to say to him and found herself standing awkwardly in the middle of his room. Retreating before the awkwardness became too much to handle, Hermione wished him a good evening and retreated back to her own room.

Miss Bookworm can report that he liked the toffee, but Remus didn't throw himself into her arms.

Mr. Moony wonders if you might just spend time with him. Remus can sometimes think he isn't deserving of friendship, so being a constant for him could be enough to open his eyes.

Hermione thought that she already did that fairly well, but she figured that it couldn't hurt. She tried to single him out for at least one conversation a day, and hoped that she wasn't annoying him with all of her questions. More than once, she had joined him in the library while he read, slowly moving to sit closer and closer to him, until they were just barely touching.

One night, Harry and Ron were playing Wizard's chess while Sirius and Ginny debated about who was the best chaser in the Quidditch league at the moment. Remus was sitting on the couch, watching the chess game go and politely waiting to play the winner. Hermione decided to sit on the floor next to Remus with her own large book on her lap. Slowly, so that she didn't scare him away, she let her head rest against his legs.

Her heart was beating wildly while she waited for him to react, but he never did. Relaxing into him, Hermione couldn't believe how nice this felt, and she let her mind daydream about doing this more often in the future. It was so domestic and pleasant.

But, she must have had her head higher in the clouds than she realized because Ron's voice was cutting through her dreams, ruining the moment. "Hermione, what are you doing?" he asked, sounding utterly confused. "Give Remus some space why don't you?"

The chess game had ended with Harry smugly smiling, which meant that he must have actually won a game for a change. Hermione blushed fiercely, embarrassed at being caught and called out in a way that had everyone looking at her again. "Sorry, Remus," she said, moving off of him like he'd burnt her. "I didn't realize I was using you as a pillow."

"It's alright, Hermione, I didn't mind," he said with a kindly smile. "Unfortunately, though, I do have to go show Harry how to lose a chess game, so I will have to get up."

"Of course," she said, before standing up herself. "I might actually go to bed myself. I was getting tired anyway." She didn't think she could sit there a moment longer, wallowing in embarrassment, especially considering the odd sort of look that Sirius was giving her at the moment.

Miss Bookworm has been trying to spend time with Remus, but the moment is continually ruined by others. I don't think that's going to work.

Mr. Padfoot thinks Miss Bookworm might need to be a little more overt. Mr. Padfoot suggests that you show him a preview of what could be his. Make sure you're showing off enough skin to entice him, and if that doesn't work, just like...drop something in front of him and take your time picking it up.

Mr. Padfoot! Miss Bookworm cannot believe that would work.

Mr. Padfoot insists. It's worth a shot, isn't it?

Hermione had agonized over Mr. Padfoot's suggestion all night, but eventually conceded that it couldn't hurt. She was running out of time to show Remus how she felt and really, things were a little bit desperate.

Wearing one of her new black dresses, Hermione hoped that the jumper material made it casual enough not to stand out. Looking at herself in the mirror, she figured that Mr. Padfoot would probably approve of the low-cut neckline and the terribly short hemline, resisting the urge to tug it down farther than she had. She hoped that Remus might find the exposed skin between the top of her knee socks and dress might be ultra appealing to him.

When she finally joined her friends, Ginny headed off whatever insensitive statement that Ron was about to make about her. "Hermione, I love your dress!" she said happily. "You'll have to take me shopping with you next time. This new style just works so well for you."

Ron looked a little red in the face. "I don't see why you've suddenly started with all the dresses and the skirts, Hermione," he said, sounding as disapproving as Mrs. Weasley might. "You never wear dresses."

"I wear dresses, Ron," she said with another frown. "I don't see what's wrong with dressing up a little bit outside of school. I didn't realize that I needed your permission to not wear jeans." She tried not to blush, tried not to feel embarrassed about what she was wearing, because really there was nothing wrong with it. It just wasn't her usual attire.

When she looked up, she did see Remus looking her over with his head slightly tilted to one side. If she was letting herself hope, she could admit that he might even look interested. It filled her with a little thrill when she saw his eyes stutter when he got to the knee socks. Hermione started to wonder if Mr. Padfoot didn't really know what he was talking about.

If anything, it gave her the courage to go along with the second part of her plan. It took some time for her to actually create a reasonable scenario where she would drop something, and she wouldn't imagine trying it in front of Harry or Ron. She could only imagine the color that Ron would turn if he saw it, no matter how accidental she made it look. She had one chance in the morning, but she chickened out at the last minute.

But, she found her real opportunity in the afternoon when Sirius took Harry and Ron out to the back garden to look at his flying motorbike. Ginny was having a nap in her room, which meant that Remus would be utterly alone.

Hermione found Remus not in the library, but in the kitchen. "Having a little snack?" she teased, having found him carrying a stack of biscuits. "Mind if I have one?" she asked, before crossing the distance between them and cheekily taking the top biscuit off of his pile.

"By all means," he agreed, even though she didn't leave him much choice.

She took a bite out of the cookie, before letting it break in half. Part of the biscuit dropped to the floor. "Oh, how clumsy of me," she said, before bending over and dropping to her knees. Hermione made a big show of pressing her arse up into the air, simultaneously dreading and hoping that he might catch a hint of her knickers. Would it entice him? Would he drop behind her and grab hold of her hips like he did in her naughtiest daydreams?

Her heart was racing while she took her time picking up the pieces of cookie, all the while agonizing over how she was going to have to stand up and actually face him. Knowing she couldn't put it off any longer, Hermione fought off a blush and stood proudly.

She looked around the kitchen.

Remus was nowhere to be found.

Miss Bookworm is utterly mortified to report that bending over in front of Remus and showing off her arse did nothing but drive Remus away. He wasn't even there when she stood back up. The neckline and short skirt were promising though.

Mr. Padfoot refutes that it did nothing. Mr. Padfoot asserts that Remus might be doing something about it right now.

Mr. Padfoot! Mr. Moony must protest!

Mr. Prongs finds this utterly ridiculous! Just kiss Remus already and get it over with. Then at least Miss Bookworm will know one way or another.

Merlin, Hermione wanted to argue back with Mr. Prongs that kissing Remus would be utterly ridiculous, but again, she really felt like she was running out of time. The Weasleys would arrive the next day and then it would be back to Hogwarts. The time was now and if she had any Gryffindor courage to speak of, she needed to just go for it.

But, Merlin, was she scared to actually try it.

There was snow falling wildly outside, and while Hermione had tromped around in Grimmauld Place's tiny back garden with Harry, Ron and Ginny and Sirius who was transformed as Snuffles, Hermione found herself retreating inside the kitchen for a bit of hot chocolate.

She was pleased to find Remus already in the kitchen himself with a mug of the warm liquid held in his hands and piled high with marshmallows. She hoped that Remus might not notice her blush as she approached him, perhaps thinking her pink cheeks were merely due to the cold temperature from being outside.

"Having fun out there, Hermione?" he asked gently.

Hermione walked over to get her own mug of hot chocolate, trying to think over her words so that Remus would know she was flirting with him. "It was fun for a while," she said. "But I think I would have prefered to spend my morning holed up in the library with you."

Cautiously, she looked up at him through her eyelashes and saw two identical spots of pink on his cheeks. "Oh, surely you'd have more fun with your friends," he said finally. Hermione watched as his Adam's apple bobbed up and down.

She knew that now was her best chance. Pushing herself up on her tippy toes to close the considerable height distance between them, Hermione pressed her lips against his, her eyes shut tightly. She was actually doing it! She was actually kissing Remus, finally. And, she was only a little bit off target. And any minute now, he would wrap his arms around her and pull he against his body only to apparate them off to his bedroom so that he could have his wicked way with her...

Only, it never came. Pulling back, Hermione couldn't even stand to meet Remus's eyes. She wasn't sure what he was thinking, but she knew that he must not share her feelings. Blinking back tears, she knew that she had to get out of the kitchen as soon as possible, before he tried to let her down gently.

Running off to her room, Hermione locked the door behind her. Oh, she hated Mr. Prongs and all the rest of the enchanted people from the parchment. If only they hadn't given her such false hope...

After her disastrous Yule break, Hermione supposed that the only bright spot was that Remus didn't try to talk to her about the kiss. The rest of the Weasleys piled into Grimmauld Place, and she was able to spend her time chatting with Fred and George, or grilling Bill about the cursebreaker program at Gringotts, or doing whatever chores Mrs. Weasley could think up for her.

She shoved the piece of enchanted parchment into the bottom of her school trunk and resolved to never write to it again. Really, what had she been thinking? She knew what had happened with that awful Diary that Ginny had written in her first year.

When it was time to head back to Hogwarts, Hermione was practically the first person out to the door to head off to Kings Cross, needing to put as much distance between her and Remus as possible. Sirius didn't hint that he knew anything that had happened, so Hermione hoped that Remus hadn't said anything, because that would be even more mortifying.

Being back at Hogwarts was good. She could start to put the whole ordeal behind her with some distance between her. It was time to buckle down and focus on her NEWTs that were only a few weeks away really. She needed to be focusing on revising, not savoring each letter that Remus sent her and spending hours agonizing over her responses back.

The only thing was so far her feelings for Remus hadn't diminished at all even after his rejection. If anything, her fantasies and daydreams only got more intense now that she knew what it actually felt like to kiss him. She hoped in time her feelings would fade and she would be able to move on with someone else.

It was silly to keep pining after someone who clearly didn't want her.

It was maybe a bad idea to take Sirius up on his offer to live at Grimmauld Place. Hermione only agreed to it because it was temporary. She'd accepted a job at Gringotts after graduation, and it would be a few weeks before she saved up for a deposit for a flat, and it was inconvenient to stay with her parents because they couldn't be connected to the floo network and she found such long distance apparition to be exhausting - not something she needed when she went to work with the exacting goblins.

Of course, Remus was still living at Grimmauld Place, too, but Hermione wondered if this wasn't the push she needed to get him out of her head once and for all. She would just peacefully coexist with him and then she could move into her new flat with an unencumbered heart.

The first night spent there, she had spent the evening drinking with Harry, Sirius and Remus. They needed to celebrate finally being graduated from Hogwarts, after all, and both of their excellent results on the NEWTs. By the time that she finally stumbled into her bed, it was too late to even begin to unpack her trunk.

But, in the end, she was almost glad that she hadn't unpacked her trunk, because it gave her an excellent reason to hole up in her room alone, away from Remus, for the afternoon. After her hastily brewed hangover potion had kicked in of course.

It was something of an exercise for her to carefully go through her school trunk, which had gotten her through seven years at Hogwarts. Once she'd hung up her clothes in the wardrobe, Hermione began to empty the trunk of every item. While she normally kept it quite orderly, she couldn't pretend as if her organization hadn't gone out the window a bit in her seventh year. She'd been so focused on revising that it was difficult to maintain order in every facet of her life.

But, not only that, she didn't think she'd ever completely emptied it since she'd gotten it before she started at Hogwarts. There was no point in taking everything out when she couldn't even perform magic over the summers. All she needed were the books.

She found plenty of things to toss that had seemed important at one time or another but were now revealed to be utterly useless. There were a few essays that she was particularly proud of that she wanted to keep, as well as a handful of textbooks that could be useful to reference in her new job, but other books that she really should donate. She'd have to go to the shops sometime in the next week to do so.

The sun had gone all the way down when she finally reached the bottom. There, she found a piece of parchment with nothing written on it and remembered that it was the bane of her existence. She should have just lit it on fire and been done with it, but she couldn't stop herself from telling her enchanted penpals just how much they had utterly failed.

You gave me the worst advice, by the way. Remus was left completely unseduced. You must not know him as well as you thought you did.

Hello Miss Bookworm, long time no write. Mr. Prongs thinks that something must have gone wrong. Remus should have been very seduced.

Mr. Wormtail wants to be sure that Miss Bookworm is a pretty brunette who loves to read and is an academic standout. Remus must have been interested in her.

You'd be correct. I even got Outstandings on all my NEWTs, except for Defense where I got another Exceeds Expectations. But I must not be Remus's type.

Mr. Moony thinks that Miss Bookworm sounds just like Remus's type.

Well, I kissed him, and all he did was just stand there. And, he hasn't even talked to me since then, aside from like casual stuff so... she trailed off, feeling good to finally get this off of her chest.

Mr. Padfoot must respectfully disagree with Miss Bookworm. Something must have gone wrong with your kiss, because Remus should be panting over you. Trust me, we know him better than anyone.

Hermione rolled her eyes at the enchanted parchment wondering just how Mr. Padfoot thought he knew Remus better than anyone else. He was a bloody scrap of paper after all! Oh, yeah? And how is that? I'm starting to feel like I know him better than all of you.

Miss Bookworm, Mr. Prongs advises you not to be silly.

Mr. Padfoot agrees. We know Remus best of all because Mr. Moony is Remus Lupin, after all.

What? Hermione wrote, feeling her heart rate skyrocket. What the fuck did that mean that Mr. Moony was Remus? It made absolutely no sense to her at all.

Yes, Mr. Moony is Remus and I, Mr. Padfoot am Sirius and Mr. -

She didn't even want to read anything else, not when she already had everything that she needed to know written right there. This was obviously some kind of terrible practical joke that Remus and Sirius were playing on her and she didn't care to know who else was in on it. Merlin, she could just imagine the pair of them laughing at her expense while she threw herself at Remus. Did they even realize how hurtful it was to play tricks on her like this? She had very real feelings and they were beyond hurt.

Letting out a little noise of frustration, Hermione knew that she couldn't let this stand. Bunching up the enchanted parchment, she stomped off in the direction of Remus's room, making the climb up two flights of stairs, fully intending to confront him even if he and Sirius were inside giggling at her expense.

The door was shut when she got there, but she didn't even bother to knock, instead throwing the door open. Remus was inside, laid out on his bed with a magazine in hand. He startled when she made her dramatic entrance, hoping up from the bed. "Hermione, is everything alright?" he asked, sounding concerned.

"Oh, don't even start with me, Remus, you know exactly what's wrong," she sneered, before looking around the room. "What, did Harry and Sirius hide in the closet or something?"

"Sirius and Harry are at the pub-"

She cut him off before he could speak more. "Spare me the lies, Mr. Moony. I know that the three of you have been playing a prank on me," she said, feeling her embarrassment spike again when she thought of all the things Mr. Moony and Mr. Padfoot and the rest of them told her to do.

His eyes widened when she called him Mr. Moony. "What did you call me?" he asked, head cocking to one side.

"Mr. Moony. I know that you were using this parchment to tease me. Was it fun to make fun of my crush on you?" she asked, waving the parchment in his face.

Remus's eyebrows rose in surprise when she mentioned her crush, but perhaps he just didn't think that she would come out and actually say it. "Hermione, I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about."

"Please, you've just admitted to it. You wrote that you were Mr. Moony and Sirius was Mr. Padfoot," she said, feeling a bit of doubt begin to creep in. "I'm sure you had a lot of fun over getting me to wear knee socks and low cut tops, but it's not nice to use my feelings against me. Here I was acting like a complete fool trying to seduce you when all along you guys were laughing behind my back! Well, I hope you're happy Remus Lupin!"

Something darker came over his face, and he gave a little smirk. "So, the knee socks were for my benefit?" he asked. "I'd hoped as much, but didn't want to try anything should it be a friendly misunderstanding."

"You hoped?" Hermione said, her eyes dropping to the paper that she still had clutched in her hand, thinking over what the words meant. "But the enchanted paper..."

"I'm afraid that you found a map that Sirius, James, Peter and I made while we were at school. We enchanted it to talk back to people who didn't know the password," he explained. "But, never did I think that it would try to give out love advice."

Merlin, Hermione just realized that she'd stormed into Remus's room and accused him of playing a horribly mean prank on her, and in the process, she'd revealed just how much of a crush she had on him. "Um, I'll just leave it with you, then," she said, hoping to make a hasty retreat so that she could be mortified in her own room. She wasn't sure how she was ever going to be able to face Remus again!

Before she could turn tail and run, though, Remus was gently grabbing her jaw, tilting her head up to look at his. "Their advice was rather aimed at a teenage Remus Lupin, but I confess that the methods might have worked if I didn't have better self-control," he revealed. "I can only watch you bending over to pick up biscuits for so long before I had to leave before doing something you might regret."

"But I kissed you, Remus," she argued. "And you just stood there."

Remus snorted, before pulling her body up against his. "That was not a kiss, Hermione. That was little more than a peck," he insisted. "I'll give you a real kiss if you want it."

Hermione swallowed, feeling her insides turn to utter mush. She wasn't sure she could even get the words out and settled on simply nodding her head.

Then, he was dipping his head down to meet her lips in a kiss.

Immediately, Hermione was forced to realize that real-life Remus was so much better than fantasy Remus could ever be. He was possessive, yes, taking control of the situation and putting her just how he wanted, but it was also obvious that he knew what he was doing. Her fingers grabbed hold of his arms when he deepened the kiss.

She was practically melting against him, glad for his arms around her body, holding her up, or she was certain that her knees would have buckled. She felt the hardness of his cock pressed up against her belly. Pulling back from the kiss, she gasped for air. "Oh Godric," she whined, the molten feeling of her sex making her squeeze her legs together, desparate for a release.

The door slammed shut and locked, before Remus dropped his wand to the ground. Grateful that they wouldn't be interrupted, Hermione pushed on his shoulders until Remus was walking back towards the bed.

When he got to the edge, he pulled her back with him until she was sitting perched on top of his body. Fingers quickly pulled her jumper dress over her head, hissing when her skin was revealed to him. "Oh, witch, you don't know how much I dreamed of this," he told her.

Hermione was reaching behind herself, removing her bra, before her fingers worked to liberate Remus from his own jumper. He wasn't much help with his large hands reaching up to cup her breasts, his thumbs working against her hard nipples.

She whined, rocking her hips against him. Merlin, she didn't think she'd ever wanted anyone as much as she did in that moment. She was certain that if she didn't get Remus inside her she just might die. "Please, Remus," she begged.

Feeling a little thrill go through her when she saw that his own fingers were shaking in the effort to remove his jeans, she bent over to press open mouthed kisses against the side of his neck. She moaned at the sensation of her breasts pressed up against his chest.

Remus was pushing his jeans down his legs, then, kicking himself free. Then, it seemed as though he was done letting her have her way with him. Grabbing her wrists, he flipped her over onto her side, until she was back against the pillows, her hair fanned out around her. His hands slid in the front of the elastic of her knickers.

The noise he made when his fingertips found the slickness between her legs would probably be seared into her brain for the rest of her life. Same with the feeling of his finger entering her while his thumb found that little bead of pleasure at the top of her sex.

He kissed her like a man possessed, hungry and wild, all the while working her towards some pleasurable end. She wanted more, wanted him inside her and so she was shoving her own knickers down her legs, her legs cradling his body.

Her hands found his hardness easy enough and caressed it, once twice, before trying to guide him towards her. The anticipation of it had her nearly giddy with excitement. She couldn't believe that her wildest dreams were actually coming true.

Remus removed his naughty fingers from her and groaned looking down at her flushed face, pupils blown. "Hermione, are you sure this is what you want?" he asked quietly, though the look on his face showed how much an effort it was not just to just drive home.

"Godric, yes, Remus!" she responded enthusiastically. She was not going to let this opportunity slip by her. She'd wanted him for so long now, she almost couldn't believe it was really happening.

He didn't wait long to slide home, resting his head in the crook of her neck, giving her a chance to adjust to him. Hermione whined, feeling utterly filled by Remus. She relished the feeling of his body pressed so intimately against hers, and let her fingers explore the skin of his back, skipping over the one or two raised scars she found.

He rocked into her, making her gasp aloud, her insides throbbing around him. She felt as though she was liquid, simply reacting to his thrusts, able to do nothing but feel the pleasure that was building inside of her. Hermione wanted to commit each moment of this to memory - each thrust, each press of his hip against her clit, each time he cupped her breast, each pant of his name into his ear, but she was finding it increasingly difficult to focus when she was so close.

Her eyes snapped shut, her toes curled, right on the edge of that divine precipice. And then her orgasm was washing over her. She was boneless, she was soaring, she was throbbing around him. She barely even registered Remus's long, low groan when he followed right after her.

When she could finally make sense of things again, she noted that Remus had fallen to the side, his chest still working up and down from the exertion. Hermione rolled onto her side so that she could look at him shyly. "So," she said simply, unsure of what to do next now that she finally had the object of her affections in bed.

"So, what are the chances that there could be a repeat performance?" Remus asked, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "I mean...I've at least got to have you in knee socks once, right?"

Hermione blushed. "A repeat performance could definitely be arranged," she said, biting her lower lip. "But I thought the knee socks were more... Mr. Moony's style."

"Oh, Mr. Moony likes knee socks, but...I can't sit her and lie and pretend like I didn't like them, too," he told her unabashedly.

"Alright, only if...only if I won't be making a fool of myself in them," she said. It was a good thing he didn't mind them too much, because she'd come to like them as well.

"You'll sleep here tonight?" Remus asked, sounding hopeful. "And in the morning, I'll buy you breakfast. I'd imagined at least a date before all of this, but, well, I was powerless to stop your seduction," he teased.

"I'd love that," Hermione agreed, pleased to see that he was interested in more than just a sexual relationship. She snuggled up to his side before pulling the covers up around her. She was so tired, she didn't think she could stay open another minute, but she was sure that she'd be dreaming of Remus, too.

Hermione had barely resisted Remus's kisses and caresses in the morning, but she knew that she needed to extract herself from the bed long enough to shower so that they could go eat. She knew that there would be more time for romancing, but she was hungry and well, she wanted to actually talk to Remus after not having had so much as a letter in the past few months.

Remus walked her to his door, giving her one last heated kiss before pulling down the wards and releasing her into the hallway. Hermione couldn't wipe the smile off her face, not even when she came face to face with Sirius.

"Hey, hey," he said, gesturing at the two well-shagged looking house guests. "What's this all about then?"

"Miss Bookworm had to take the seducing of Mr. Moony into her own hands," Hermione said cheekily.

Sirius did not understand that any more than he did before. "Seduce? You were really trying to seduce Remus? Here I was telling him that he was imagining things!" he argued.

"Yes, and I had some help from some interesting friends, Mr. Padfoot," Hermione said with a grin.

Sirius narrowed his eyes and looked at Remus. "What is she talking about?" he asked.

"Hermione found the Marauders' Map, but didn't know the password, so she thought it was just a piece of parchment, until she started brainstorming ideas on how to seduce me," Remus explained, having extracted the story from her that morning. "And, it seems that Moony, Padfoot, Prongs, and Wormtail were only too happy to help her, rather than just insult her."

Hermione patted Sirius on her chest as she walked by him. "Brilliant bit of charms work there, Sirius," she complimented him before swaggering away. "Don't know about the seduction advice though."

"Hey! I'll have you know that I'm quite the expert when it comes to seduction!" he shouted at her retreating back.

Hermione could only laugh.